The $1 million TVG Pacific Classic headlines Del Mar’s biggest day of racing during its summer meet Saturday. The 1 1/4 mile race has a field of nine runners, with no dominant entry this year. Six horses have odds from 7-2 to 5-1, making this year’s 31st edition wide open. The winner of the Pacific Classic earns an automatic invite to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
The TVG Pacific Classic is Race 10 on Aug. 21, with post time at 9:30 p.m. EST and 6:30 p.m. PST. Fans wanting to catch the action can watch the stream live on TVG and also watch the other races from Del Mar.
BEST HORSE RACING REBATES AND BONUSES
That includes the two stakes races on the turf. Race 9 features the fillies in the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. Another Breeders’ Cup qualifying race ends the day at the seaside track, Race 11, the $300,000 Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles. The winner earns an invite to the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
If you’re looking for an angle or profiles of horses who have won the Pacific Classic, then follow some of the speed figures the runners have posted most recently.
- Ten of the past 11 winners produced a speed figure (Equibase) of at least 100 in the two races prior to the Pacific Classic.
That fits Express Train, Royal Ship, Tizamagician and rapidly improving Tripoli.
Another angle is that horses who won their previous race before the Pacific Classic have won seven of the last 11 Pacific Classics.
Many of the six top contenders have raced against each other before. Express Train won five weeks ago and finished in front of Tripoli and Royal Ship.
The leading jockeys in wins at Del Mar’s Summer Meet are Flavien Prat (26), Abel Cedillo (22), Juan Hernadez (21) and Umberto Rispoli, with Prat posting by far the highest win percentage at 27% and the highest in-the-money rate at 65%.
Check out all the sites, sounds and racing at Del Mar, and return for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 5-6 “Where the Turf Meets the Surf.”
Tune in on TVG, where legal horse betting is available in more than 30 states. Leading online operators like TVG and Twinspires provide added bonuses when using the promo code LSRTVG, or $100 when registering at Twinspires.
Photo: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
